THAT WINNING WEND: The pleasures of wending up a mountain are plentiful, especially, it seems, in the middle of August. That's when thermometers around Southern California are doing their very darndest to test the outer limits of the mercury, and the sunshine we love is so plentiful that we're seeking a little shade at the height of the day. A weekend spent in a cooler clime, a higher elevation, is clearly the ticket, and if terrific music is involved, and a great arts organization, and some history, and some top-notch performers? The wend up the mountain becomes even more winsome. Such is the case with that classic of the summer music calendar, Jazz in the Pines. Idyllwild's annual weekend-long music-tacular has been a staple of the San Jacinto community for nearly a quarter century, and that the Idyllwild Arts Foundation is behind the whole shebang just lends the loveliness more cultural cred. We said "weekend" earlier, but best make that a long weekend if you plan on attending, for the 23rd outing of Jazz in the Pines is scheduled for...
AUG. 19-21, 2016: The roster is a full one, from a Patrons Dance ("Magic in the Forest" is the theme) to sets by Los Hermanos Arango, Diane Schuur featuring Ernie Watts, and Richie Cole Alto Madness with The Jazz Project Big Band. Tickets? You'll best want to line those up, and you can go with either a single-day pass or one for both Saturday and Sunday. Enjoying smooth tunes in an alfresco, big-of-tree setting? It's not got "in the Pines" in its name for no reason. This is one of the state's most flow-filled, breeze-nice music weekends, a cool happening in August anticipated by many a jazz-loving Californian. That you get to be atop a mountain, or nearly, while appreciating the vibes only ups the general cool-a-tude of this long-running fest.
